Be More Adaptive – Caitlin Conner
Be More Adaptive is an organization to help people of all disabilities with anything and everything. After a tragic motorcycle accident in 2014, Caitlin Conner got some life changing news. At the hospital, she found out she was both pregnant and that she would need a leg amputation. It was a rollercoaster of emotions – feeling both excited to bring a new life into this world and lost with the news of amputation. Conner realized she didn’t know anyone who had ever been through something like this – being a pregnant amputee. After two years she finally realized she had post-traumatic stress disorder and knew she had to make a change.
Conner decided to enter in her first 5k marathon in 2016. She finished the marathon pushing her two-year-old daughter in a stroller the entire way. After the marathon, she found a new love for being active and started trying all kinds of sports, such as CrossFit, cycling, triathlon, boxing, figure skating, shooting and more.
Helping Others
Conner felt as though she had a calling to help other people with physical disabilities. After meeting someone on an airplane and sharing her thoughts, she decided to start a new movement. She started a Facebook group called “World of Adaptive Sports and Fitness” in 2018. With the group’s success, she decided it needed to be more than just fitness, and more than just physical disabilities.
That’s when she started Be More Adaptive. The organization helps people with physical and mental disabilities find sports, fitness, fashion, jobs, the latest ADA news, disability rights and other endless resources. “Be More Adaptive” just earned their 501(c)(3) status, meaning they are now a non-profit organization that is recognized by the IRS as being tax-exempt by virtue of its charitable programs. Her goal for this organization is to help people with any kind of disability get the resources they need.
When asked if the name should be “Be More Adapted” rather than “Adaptive,” Conner says “It should be in present tense, not past tense, since we will always continue to adapt and progress. We will never truly be done adapting.”
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